The Beautiful Senpai from the Archery Club Is Sleeping in My Room with Her Stomach Exposed. - Chapter 3: Rare Midnight Event— 3

Rare Midnight Event— 3

As I opened the front door, the first thing I saw was a demon.

“Tooooouuuyaaa?”

The deep, questioning voice came from Mei’s demon mask (a joke accessory to hide her bare face).

“Hyiii…!”

Watanuki-senpai froze and let out a cute little scream at the sight of the mask with its sharp fangs. Reflexively, she grabbed my arm tightly.

“Why, when you ask me to do an errand, do you end up bringing someone as famous as Watanuki-san? If the school finds out, it’ll cause a big commotion!”

“I shared that info just a few minutes ago. I had a gut feeling that it was better for her to rest here. After all, I have an understanding sister at hom..”

“Well, I get it in my head, but my heart can’t keep up… Your decisiveness is still insane. And what’s with all the energy drinks?!”

“…They’re for when I need to power through.”

“Eh? What if you collapse again? I don’t want you to end up like when you kept oversleeping in middle school!”

“Don’t worry. I know myself best. I won’t make you worry anymore, Mei.”

Despite her concerned tone, my older sister, who had a strong-willed personality, sighed and said, “They’re heavy, right? Gimme one of them.” She offered to help, clearly exasperated. I gratefully handed over one of the bags. My shoulder was about to dislocate from the weight.

It was a bit of a guilty lie, but at least it seemed like no one realized the bags were actually for Watanuki.

Looking at my secret ally, I saw her sitting down on the floor, looking pale and drained.

“Ah, Amemoto-kun… Why is Mei-san wearing a demon mask? I was just a little surprised by her sudden appearance…”

“Right, I get it. Mei, take off the mask and explain things. You’re scaring Watanuki-senpai.”

“No way! I’d rather stay a demon than let anyone see me without makeup, especially anyone other than you, Touya.”

I wondered why she’d go so far just to avoid being seen without makeup. She had a cute face without it, though. I wasn’t being biased—Meloril-san had said, “Adolescent girls’ self-esteem is tricky, kid.”

But right now, I had to deal with my guest.

“Sorry about the demon mask, Watanuki-san. Mei, could you please put on a cuter one? Let’s not frighten her anymore.”

“Got it! I think I have a magical girl mask in my closet! I’ll go change it for you!”

I knew I should be taking better care of the situation, but I ended up giving more stress to Watanuki-senpai than I intended. I needed to focus more and stop causing trouble.

“Stop, Amemoto-kun. I’m not scared. I was just a little surprised, that’s all. Really, I wasn’t scared at all… uh…!”

She was holding her mouth, clearly fighting the urge to vomit. I quickly realized I needed to prepare an etiquette bag.

“Don’t push yourself. First, let’s get you some rest. The living room sofa is really comfy. It’s just down this hall—can you stand?”

“…It’s the first time I’ve ever been treated like a fragile person… even though I wasn’t really scared…”

I left the energy drinks by the door and helped Watanuki get to the sofa.

I made sure not to think too much about the soft, feminine touch I felt when I helped her up. In a crisis like this, it wasn’t good to dwell on things like that.

***

The living room was quiet in the middle of the night, with the TV turned off.

Thanks to my minimalist father, there were no clocks in our house. So, all I could hear now was the sound of my breathing and Watanuki-senpai’s.

Until a moment ago, Mei had claimed the sofa, but now, Watanuki-senpai was lying down, resting in a relaxed position.

The cushions from my room raised her legs slightly. I tried not to look at her healthy legs and the shorts not suited for being out in public…

Carefully, I handed her a cup of water, making sure not to spill it.

“How are you feeling? It’s been about 20 minutes, is it getting any better?”

She took a sip from the cup and smiled gently.

“Yeah, thanks to you. I’m feeling much better now, no more discomfort.”

“That’s a relief. About getting you home, I’ll walk you back, so—”

“Wait, why are you wearing handcuffs?”

Watanuki-senpai, with a confused expression, pointed at the plastic handcuffs on my wrist—borrowed from Mei’s box of joke items, a restraint that restricted my movement.

“Um… I thought it might be less alarming if I were restrained. I just thought I’d wear them for now.”

“I knew it… pfft, haha! Oh my god!”

She started laughing, clutching her stomach, and bent over in amusement on the sofa.

“You actually look even more suspicious now. Seriously, you should look in a mirror!”

“…I guess you’re right.”

I’d tried too hard not to appear suspicious, but I ended up looking like one. This was like something out of a comedy routine.

Suddenly, I felt incredibly embarrassed. Mei should’ve stopped me before I went too far with this…

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. But seriously, in this situation, I’m not suspicious of you anymore. I don’t feel uneasy at all.”

Still smiling, Watanuki-senpai sat up, trying to suppress her laughter, hiding her mouth with her hand. Her slightly disheveled black hair looked strangely alluring.

“Honestly, seeing you like this, the saying ‘seeing is believing’ really applies. You’re much more charming than the rumors made you out to be, Amemoto Touya, hahah.”

“Ah, speaking of which…”

This was the question I had been wanting to ask while helping her earlier.

“How do you know my name and face? I don’t have any notable traits, aside from my rare surname.”

“Well, there’s a reason. One of the underclassmen from the archery club mentioned you once. They said there’s a classmate who’s really good at FPS.”

“…So you remember me just because of that?”

“Yep, I had to remember just in case we had a chance to talk sometime.”

“Really…?”

I stepped back while still wearing the handcuffs. It wasn’t exactly the kind of position that made me look like I was in control, but I pulled away anyway.

Normally, there wouldn’t be much reason to remember “a game-skilled guy who’s an acquaintance of an underclassman from the archery club.”

But to remember my face, just because there might be an opportunity to talk… She must have a really good memory.

As I reflected on this, Watanuki-senpai stretched and stood up.

“Thank you, Amemoto-kun. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to get home safely. I should probably leave soon, though. I don’t want to wake your parents by staying too long.”

My dad was away for work, and my mom was on a night shift as a nurse, so there was no need to worry about them, but there was no reason to insist on keeping her either.

“I’ll walk you home. But first, I’ll need to unlock the handcuffs.”

“No, no, it’s fine. My house is just a short run from here. I’m pretty confident in my speed.”

It suddenly clicked—those shorts weren’t just for comfort like Mei’s, but probably for running.

“Are you really okay? Even though you’re feeling better, isn’t it still risky…?”

“I have some Aikido skills, so if I run into any bad guys, I’ll be able to get away. I’m stronger than I look, you know?”

She gave me a proud smile, exuding confidence. But despite her words, the impression I had of her was still that of a “fragile and pitiful senpai.” Still, she must have been strong in normal circumstances—today was probably just an exception.

“I can’t keep causing trouble for you and your sister. I’m feeling better, so I’ll head back alone. Don’t worry about me.”

“Well, if you say so… Alright. What should we do about the energy drink?”

“I’ll come back for it later. It’s something I need. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I can’t keep up with everything without staying up late.”

Popular people must have their struggles, I suppose.

Even with my shallow and wide range of acquaintances, I often end up sleep-deprived from keeping up with social obligations. Watanuki-senpai probably had it a lot harder.

She put on her big coat again, reached for the door to the living room, and smiled that perfectly charming smile once more before stepping out with one last remark.

“Thanks for having me. Tell Mei-san I said hello—and I’ll properly thank you sometime soon. I’ll make sure to do it soon!”

“Eh?”

What exactly did she mean by “thank you”?

Before I could ask, the living room door shut. I was left wondering, feeling restless, and wondering what kind of “thank you” she meant. This was going to keep me up all night… I didn’t even need caffeine anymore.

Just then, Mei burst in, full of excitement.

“Ta-da! Magical Girl Mei has arrived! I had a hard time finding it; it was covered in dust! I’m going to punish Watanuki-senpai’s bad health☆”

“She just left, actually.”

“Already punished her, huh?! …I put so much effort into getting ready, and we don’t even talk that much. Ugh, whatever. I’m just going to eat ice cream and go to bed.”

“I’m with you on that… I was nervous too…”

The rare event of Watanuki-senpai’s visit, smelling of freshness and leaving me intrigued by the mysterious “thank you,” had finally come to an end.